Memories, a witch and a spin-off
NEW RELEASES
| For over 60 years now, Manna Dey has been synonymous with music and melody. Excelling across a variety of genres "" film songs, ghazals, bhajans, classical and pop "" he has regaled generations of listeners with his romantic ballads, zany rock 'n' roll numbers, playful qawwalis and intricate raga-based songs. |
| In Memories Come Alive: An Autobiography, Manna Dey takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane "" his early passion for wrestling and football; adolescent pranks which involved shoplifting sweets from a confectionery and pole-vaulting into the neighbour's terrace to swipe pickle jars; and the influence of his uncle and guru K C Dey (the celebrated singer and composer of the 1930s). |
| He recounts his early days in Mumbai as an assistant music director to his uncle and to composers like S D Burman and vividly recalls the struggle to carve a niche as a playback singer in Hindi films, competing with stalwarts like Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar. He also discusses at length his foray into the world of Bengali film and non-film music where he came to be regarded as the undisputed king of melody. |
| THE WITCH OF PORTOBELLO Paulo Coelho HarperCollins 329 pages Rs 295 |
| Paulo Coelho, one of the world's best-loved storytellers (and equally, a favourite whipping boy of critics), is back with a new novel set in London, filled with the themes Coelho fans know and love: spirituality, relationships, destiny, freedom. The question at the centre of this book is: how do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves "" even if we are unsure of whom we are? |
| These themes are explored through the story of Athena, dubbed "the Witch of Portobello" for her seeming powers of prophecy. Her life is pieced together through a series of recorded interviews with people who knew her well or, as it turns out, hardly knew her at all "" parents, colleagues, teachers, friends, acquaintances, her ex-husband. |
| The novel unravels Athena's mysterious beginnings via an orphanage in Romania to a childhood in Beirut. When war breaks out, her adoptive family move with her to London, where a dramatic turn of events occurs. Athena disappears dramatically, leaving those who knew her to solve the mystery of her life and abrupt departure. |
| In a twist on the traditional serialisation of popular novels by Charles Dickens and other 19th century authors, Paulo Coelho has decided to publish the first seven chapters of The Witch of Portobello on his blog (http://en.paulocoelhoblog.com/witch-of-portobello/). |
| SIGN OF THE CROSS Chris Kuzneski Penguin Books Rs 250 611 pages |
| Another treat for readers who haven't yet had their fill of Da Vinci Code spinoffs and conspiracy theories involving the Catholic Church. In this thriller, a Vatican priest is found murdered on the shores of Denmark "" nailed to a cross in the shadow of Hamlet's castle. He is the first victim in a vicious killing spree that spans the world, each murder mirroring the crucifixion of Christ. |
| Meanwhile, deep in the Roman catacombs of Orvieto, an archaeologist discovers "" wouldn't you know it "" an ancient scroll dating back two thousand years. This could be the key to yet another dark and treacherous secret that will rock the very foundations of the Church... |